OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

.Jwqorable

RahLph County httornsy kbbook Cwsty Lubbook, %aae

Dear Sirs AUSTIN

Brook



## OQlnian

no. A.: 0811

the

rhleh I ham rondared to the Couut ve to a **mtter, like**  to here your my muOh ror yvu 1 rqlort et the aounty a110 ana1oa.d. It thlr OVUPt dloQosed
w in addition to'thia

one hundnd and

afternoon. II the mornlw look in the

has lnoraawd the salaries ef all sooretarlaltilp, and the help in hla vrrioo cmd 1~ my ~ftioa is not sear&aria1 in every ~~88, ror in vrdax to keep hillr, the COUW hl#~*,HonorableRalph Brook, page 2

f'roe having to ollmb the stairs to the Clerk's office from ten to flftaen times a day to sign birth oertiflaata matters, this book of th4 Probatemfnutss is belw kept by his secretaryin his offloe,which is, as you see, oleriaalwork. Then in addition to that, as you know, under the statute,he Is required, as I, to 1n4ke monthly reports,end with the volum4 that is passing through the two offloes,mine and his It la entirely impossible to 44oure help theft

Is effioientat the 8100,OO figure whloh the county has heretoforebeen able to secure.
Win keeping the birth oertlfloate records as they er4 kspt the County Judge's ofsloe Is savlnq, the employment of on4 additionalasalatant oounty olerk, and on aooount of congastedoondltlonsin this part, the secretary to th4 County Judge ls olerking the County Court, sixi the Clsrk would not bs able, u&der the prosent s4t-up to lmrr aa I8 r4qoIrsdby law a alerk to attend this Court, and with th4 amount of,buaIness that is bblng'oonduoted In the County Court, it would bs n4044~ry that the County Clsrk employ
a full-tla4as,sIetant ol4rk totak4 oar4 of this buslneaa.

*As Is Sndioated in thr 14tt4r to the Commlssionoreg +.: :,, ..%

_ :. :~ Burt; ~-it

Ia,:njl::~opIut4n-that .era-,salari4s~~.oollld be, raIa4d. and these employ4ea Gould be dssIgnat4d-as clerk& In this' cowmotion let m4 say_thatyou know full well that s4or4- tarial or clerioal help does not depend upon just bavlng
someonearound. You have to have someone that understands what It is all about. I .dotest you all1 give mo an lmmsdlate opinion on this rnatWr.*

~‘ &,tr opinionaddreaa4d to the HonorableCommlaalon4ra* Court of LubbockWunty, Texan, on ths.abovsstat6d questionroada
as f0l.l0ws:

*You have queetlowd ma relative to rohather or not the County CommIsalon4ra~ Court oan authorize'the payment of a salary In 4x04~4 of $100.00 per month to an office eaalatant of the,CountyJudge and the aecre$aryof the County Attorney!s 0fri~8.

“Artiole 3902 of the Revised Civil Statutes provides a4 follows:Ronorable Ralph Brook, page S

WIWhoneoer

any district, county or prscbot ofri04r~ shall require the s43~lo48 of deputies,aselstantr~ or olsrks in the p4rform4noe of his duties he aball apply to the County Commlssloners* Court of his county for authority to appoint such deputies,assIstanta or olerks, ,etatIng by
sworn appliaatlon the number needed, the position to be fill46 and the amount to **be** ~16. Said appllcetionshall be acoompanied

by a statamant showing the probablereoeipts **from** fees, ooadssionr and compensationto be collected by said offloe during the rlsoal year and the probable dlabursements which shall Inoludeall ealarlesand expenses of said offloe;landsaid oourt shall make its order authorlelag the appointmentOS suoh deputies,aslslstanta nd olerkr and fix the compensationto ba paid them wlthln the llmltatlona herein prasorlbad and determinethe number to be appointed as In the disoretionof eald court may M,properl' proridod that In no oaas shall tha Commlsslonera~ Oourt or any manber thenof attempt to lnflu4uo4 thr appolntwnt of any person an deputy, aadmtant~or alerk fn any affloe. Upon the entry + suoh order the offloereapplying for saoh ,a~esfptants

deputies or alark t&all be authoilzoato.appoint, .th&; p&bad 

## that saltI compensation

shall not eroead tha maxluuu5'aWunt

her4lnafteraet out. ." :,,. : Th4 oompansatlon whioh

~. tiI 

## .M~aU.woa :~to +iha 4oputi4r i asriatanta~. .or...*larkm ~~awro.,~ Pi named for th9Ir~@ervfosr ahall be a reasonableona, ntit fo iroeed tag r~omwtng ~ourlta: In oouutler havhig P pupulktion of thfrty-maventhousandfive hund d and one (57,501) and not mra thaa sixty~thoueand(60,000 @habitants, 7 fldt arr$istant

or ohioi daputy not to @roeed Twaaty-ona Hunbed (#?lOO.OO) Dollars.per

annum; other assistants 'deprrCtLns

or oltika~notto exoeoa ltl&htaan Hundred (~l&.OO) .Dollar~

per anna eaoll. shall be oonstruedas ra Provided that nothing in this dot ealfng or airactingBaotion S af R. B. PIo.

694;~Chaptq.r

S 5, P Acts 19S5, Forty-fourthLagIalatun, 7M.'

TJnder t&Is artlola it ~os?ms alaar that the County Commissl,owr8*

C6urt shall have the power to authorica tha ippolntmant.ofsuoh deputies,araiatantaand alarke that may ba needed by th4 Oouuty Judge atw!l/Or the County Attorney In tha parformanosof thslr dutias and to Six their oompansatlon wIthin the llmltatlona prescribedIn SwtI6R~S of Article 3908, oinse Lubbock County 00mn within thetpopulatlon braoket.~Under Section 3 the CommIssIoners! *~~Court

Gould be authorized .to appoint a Clerk to the County .,;;'Judge*s

?ffIq6 to s47i+e inthe~ County ;T~dge~s office~at~a

,~ salary of not 'to

eroeed $1800.00per yeear. Likewise, the

‘~~Commlssionera* Court may authorizethe appointmentof a Clerk in the County Attorney's off&a8 et a salary not to, ~exceed461000.00 #4r year,.'

Honorable R&h Bfock, a&s 4

*Section 13 of krtlale 3912 ,provides 'asfollqwa:

-'The Commhdoneks~ Court inoouatles having a population of twenty thousand (80,000)inhabi.tante or more, and leas then one hundred end ninety thousand (190,OOO)inhabitants according to the lest preoediug 

### FWl0rtal

‘hnaus,ia hsiabyQilthorizsd ends It shall be its duty to fir~the rala;rlss or ~11 the followingnamed .0rrici~, totit: 5herifr,asseesor,end collector or taxes county Judge. county sttorney,includi?le 'crluinal dlstrjotattorneysend county ettorney, Including criminal distrf& attorney5end count7attorneyswho .parfqp the duties of dietriot sttorneye,distriot alerk, county clerk, treaaurar;hide and animal lnspeotox.:ICech of said oiiioere shell be paid in,mooey. and annual salary in twelve (UT) aqua1 lnatall3nent5

oft not l&s than the total SUDS earned 8~ oompe?~eQ$ibn

by big in his 0rrii0ipl cep@ty'ror:t*e rl5oal par 1935, end~nflmom thdn ths,meximum ameugt,a&lowed such bff'fher

under'lewca~

ed5tI.W on,August~.24,,~1?3F~;

.~ prbylded thet .inoouutle5having a population-of.twenty ~thourand (~SO,OOO) 5nd loss #an thirty45verithouland five hUndrtWJ

(37,500)

E'XJOi+iiQf3

,to.the '&%et; pr49?ding.Federal Ahulsus, end having en eeeeaeed 9el~~ion'id,6~O~?s at :;;i:g+ ~(~~ : :~: ~,'~.:: .b,:;~ .:: yiftaan M~lllon (~@S 000 OOO)~ OolXara;,aa?oxd$ag;to the a :::i! 5::: 'id& ,app*sa

_

:pr~ee~~j~~.&x

.;mllOf .:.a,e~~,

~o&nt* %?a~

Ba*m : amunt~al~lowad ~auoh &fioers es eeleriosmap ‘be .%n@reeeed daq(l$) lperoent ror ;&eoh One tailllon~(~1)OOO;@O.OO) Dollare valuation or rrectionelpert thetieor, in sroeie

~ or said Flrtaan Hill.ion ($16,000,000.OO)

Dollar5 valuation
over ends

above-ths~sa&.~ amount allored suob offioers under laws existingon~August 24, 1935; and~&kOoided that in oountieeh&ring a pohletiqn br tblrtf+rvon thousend 

### riro hundred '(~s?,fOO) **aqd** ,iees:than

~aiFW'thoUs+ ,(80,000) aooort?l&~tethe last ~preoeding Fed&e1 CWMLUB, end hering
an esmesaedoaluetlon:$nl xa,eee of Twenty.iiilPiq (Q%O,OOO,OOO. Dollere, eacordingto.the laet preaedingapp~#d tax roll 0f suoh county, the ~xlxagm 

### amountalloubil such otfiaara as. eeleriea may be increeeedoae (1$) Peru aentior seoh one tillion f#i,OOO,~,OOO.QO) Dollere veluetion 

### or freOtiOna1pert theredt,~

in exoeas.of

### aQi& Twenty hPillloh ($ZO,OOO,OOO.OO) Dollar5 valuation over end above the marifaum emouut allowed suoh orfloer under lnua existing on Auguet 24, 1933.
-*(a) The CommL5eionars* Court mey euthorlza~theemployment of a stenogrepher by the oounty judge,.enUpey for such ssrvloe6 out of the (general fun& of th5 orrunty to ed amount not to rxceed Twel9e Ebndred (12OO.00) .Dollera per year+HonorableRalph Brook, pge 3

‘7fOU will notiac the provisionin this Article which authorlresthe employmat of a aeoretery to the County Judge et a salary of not excaeding $l200.00per year, however,the seoretaryto'the County Judge of Lubbock County has greeter duties and greater responsibilftleo than ordf.nary

secretarial

work end the work that ehe nuet~do inthe oirioe oFthe Gounty Judge oannot be properlydesoribsdas secrsterial work. In other words, her duties go beyondthose of the ordinary aeoretery. She rifle out birth oertificatee for the oounty, keeps the books of'

the County Judge(s office and perrorms numerous other duties outside the general aaope of eitoretar$al work. It is therefore my opinion that she should properly be designatedaa a olerk to the County Judge and pursuant to 8uah Ueaignatlon by the Comuiseioneret Court, the Commissioners* court would be authorizeCto f$x her salary at a sum within the limtte prescribed, abo9e. It le therefore my oplnlon that the Commissioners* Court of Lubboak.County, Texas would be within their legal rights fn euthorleing the appo&ment of a clerk to the County Judge and CL Clerk~to the County’Attol%ey at e salary in eeoh instance. of not to exoeod gl800.00per annum.9 '
This. Dsge~~ent ~haa.hereeoforo, on ~se9eral

oooaeL,ona, ':':I~,'.'::nritt~~';"oplnions' on pra~t%Dally~

the eeme~

question or,

queetiona lnrolred in your inquiry.

le direct your attentionto ODInionDo. O-1620 holding in erract thatthere is no authority ror a County Attorney to ,employ e atanographer.

We uall your attention to our Opinion Ko. 04874 whiah holds that when a County Attorney oomplloswith the termta or Artlole 5908,~

Vernon'sAnnotatedCivil Statutea, e olerk may be appointedby the County Attorneyti

83th referen& to that part of your quezMon regarding the euthori'tj

or the~Comaiselonors 9 Court authoriefngthe eppointment of an oftice assistantfor the County Judge end the paymnnt
or e aelary in excess ot One Hundred ;($lOO.OO) Dollars per month to such essistant,It Is our .optnion that 8 County COmmiseionsr8t Court la not authoriiedunder Artiole 3902, VernontsAnnotated Civil Statutes,In the absenae of the specificgrant of power, to pay any salary Eor an essiatantfor the County Judge, an4 that in view oi'

the provlalonaof 36ctlon 13(e) or krtlcle 3912e, Vernonttt

Annotated Civil Statutea,ap lyi~ng to COunt%es 91th e populationo!'

twenty thousand (20,000 7 lnhabltantsor more, and less than one hundredninety thoueend (190,OOOjInhabitants,the County Judge in such oountles can only employ a stenogragher with the approval of the Co.misslonera* Court at a s&sry not to excee8 Twelve Aundred (312O(i.@C) Dollars p.r yesr. Our conaluslonthus statedwith referenceto the first part of the question quoted abose is eupportedby our Opioloa MO.. O-1449.HonorableRalph Brock, page 6

In your opinion addreese to the Flonorsble CormIssionera***COUrt Of**  Lubbook County, Texm, **YOU atate**  **ill dreOt**  that the Conmiiet#lonm?~* Court or said oounty would **be** within its legal right in authorfzlng the appointment0f a clerk by 

### an4 for the County Attorney

### at a salery not to exueed Eighteen Hundred (#.6OO.O0) Dollare per annum. **We** think that this is
a oornot statementwith referenceto a olark for the County Attorney and the salary to be pal4 rauoh olerk by ~lrtue ai Artiole 3903, 6upm. However,ae above lndloatedwe 40 not agree with that portion of your opinion with reference to a olerk ror the county Judge.

In eupport of the ~oregolng we oito you the **r0iutw~~ opinion4**  end enoloss a oopy or -oh ror your oonvenlenos. opinionshere rererred to are Bos. O-383, O-3146, O-1449, O-8342, O-65, O-1649, O-1874, O-3743, O-1950, o-1097, an4 0-1630.

we trust that the toragoingSully answers your inquiry.

Your8 Avery

truly

AWROVZD M&R. 18, 1943 ATTORHFiY GEUEUL OF TWXAi

m :.: ?IIIsT ASSI8TAliT /@,

. ..._.::. :,:.-
ATToIllnry G%!?=L

**AR/PO**

AtiROVXD OFINIOiP

COh&IT+EEBY.B.W.B.CEAI=